Just a Love Story
by LiveLoveLaughLife
Summary: Sometimes all you need is a fight, a bet, and a date to make two people begin to realize something they've known all along. TsuJir
1. Just a Gamble

A/N: Hey fanfiction readers! :) This story idea has been driving me insane for about a week or so, and when I finally got around to writing it I couldn't stop. The next chapter is already written and I'm in the process of writing the third. I hope you guys are interested. :) Also, I'm warning you now: this is a love story. I'm a sucker for chick flicks and romances, what can I say. Haha. I apologize for any blatant OOCness or major errors. Thanks for reading and please review! :)

This is set sometime at the beginning of Shippuuden, after Jiraiya and Naruto come back to Konoha but before all of the Akatsuki stuff.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto because if I did then Tsunade would be featured in every chapter/episode. :)

* * *

**Just a Gamble**

"_YOU IDIOT!_"

The Hokage's yell reverberated through the hospital, bouncing off the walls and seeming to shake the very foundations of the building. The hallway had long since cleared of medic-nin. No one with any self-preservation instinct would try to get in the way of the Hokage and her target.

Jiraiya, clothes soaked with rain and blood, leaned heavily against the wall in front of the blonde. Her yelling barely even phased him anymore. Gingerly pulling at the sticks and mud tangled in his long white hair, the Sannin just sighed. Tsunade jabbed a finger into his face, making him grimace.

"He could've _died_, Jiraiya! What were you _thinking_? And what about _yourself_, you damn stupid old fool!" She snarled. Each word was emphasized with a harsh poke to his chest. "_You aren't immortal_! Next time you might not be so damn lucky!"

"Calm down—,"

"DON'T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN!" She yelled.

"Tsunade—,"

"I can't believe you would be that irresponsible! I can't _believe_ you!" She stepped back away from him, fists balled in anger. Jiraiya could tell that she was barely restraining herself from sending him flying through the wall. Good thing, because he didn't know if he could survive a Tsunade punch on top of the other injuries she'd recently healed.

He'd only gotten back to the village a little over an hour ago, bruised and bloodied with an unconscious Naruto tossed over his shoulder. The two had been out of the village training when a mini version of Katsuyu had shown up, giving them a message from the Hokage. There were dangerous S-rank missing-nin in the same area as they were and she wanted them to get out of there as soon as possible.

But what would a few missing-nin be in comparison to a Sannin and his student? The two had decided to ignore Tsunade's warning and try and take the enemies out. It proved to be a bad decision; there were six of them, total, and they'd sprung at Naruto all at once. A poison dart sunk into Jiraiya's skin before he even had a chance to react.

Naruto took on two of them while Jiraiya went up against the other four. They were fierce competition, especially because the poison in his system caused Jiraiya's vision to blur so badly that he could barely focus on one of the nin, let alone four. He was able to take out three of them, regardless, before the fourth caught him off guard and lunged around him to go after Naruto. The blond boy ended up with a kunai through his chest, a poison dart in his neck, and a broken leg.

Naruto managed to pull a rasengan and kill the other two anyway, before passing out and landing in the mud. Jiraiya let the last ninja run off; his vision was swimming already and he knew he had to get Naruto some medical help before the teenager died.

That's how the two of them had shown up in Konoha. Shizune had been leaving the hospital – it was nearly midnight, after all — when Jiraiya stumbled in, and she immediately sent word to Tsunade. The dark-haired medic was able to remove the poison from their systems and was in the midst of healing Naruto's broken leg when Tsunade had shown up. She stayed quiet and let Jiraiya explain to her what had happened while she healed some of his fractured bones, then told him to wait outside of Naruto's room for her. He'd done as she asked and ended up getting screamed at and poked in the chest.

"Look, we didn't die, and we'll both be fine." Then, as an afterthought, he added, "Why are you so upset anyway? Shinobi die from battles like this all the time and _you_ of all people know that."

A flash of hurt crossed her expression, but it disappeared just as quickly. "Because you deliberately _ignored_ my warning to get out of there! As the Hokage I have authority over every mission you go on and I did not say that—,"

"Well what do you want me to say, hime?" He exclaimed, exasperated. "I'm sorry we ignored you, but we thought it would be best for everyone if we just—,"

"No," She spat. "You _didn't_ think, Jiraiya!"

With that said, the fierce woman spun on her heel and stormed out of the hospital.

*TsuJir*TsuJir*TsuJir*

Jiraiya groaned as he pulled himself out of bed the next morning. His injuries were healed, but he still had some bruises and sore spots that caused him an ache here and there. He showered, dressed slowly, and took his time making himself some breakfast.

When he finished eating, he decided his first stop of the day would be the hospital to check on the brat. He knew Naruto was fine. With Tsunade, Shizune, and probably Sakura all watching over him, the kid would come out of the hospital in better shape than he'd been before the fight with the missing-nin. Even though Jiraiya knew all of this, he still wanted to see the brat with his own eyes. Just to make sure.

So that's what he did. He made his way to the hospital, down the familiar hallways, and was about to open the door to Naruto's room when he heard bickering. The corners of his mouth turning up in a small smile, he knew exactly who was in there. He pushed the door open anyway, making himself known.

"—and I need to get back to training if I want to master the—"

"No, you need to shut up and lay back down before I break your other leg just to make sure you can't walk!"

"But Granny—,"

"WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT CALLING ME GRANNY?"

"I _COULD_ CALL YOU OLD HAG!"

"NARUTO, I'M GOING TO—,"

"Uh, is this a bad time?" Both of the blonde's turned to look at Jiraiya, who just chuckled. Tsunade's temple throbbed in irritation and Naruto grinned at his teacher.

"Pervy Sage! Make Granny Tsunade let me out of this stupid hospital!"

Tsunade growled, crossing her arms across her chest. "That fool couldn't make me do anything. Don't get your hopes up, gaki."

"Ouch, hime, you wound me." Jiraiya muttered, then turned his attention to Naruto. "She does have a point though. It's a lesson you should learn now." He took the appearance of a teacher, raising his finger and closing his eyes as he lectured Naruto. "_Women_. Gorgeous, yes, but equally as crazy. They may be pleasant to look at but under all of those curves is a tangled web of insanity that no sane man would ever succumb to. My point is, when a woman like Tsunade decides something, you let her have her way. Trying to change her mind will only get your body and ego injured. Trust me."

"She already healed me." Naruto grumbled. "Why can't I leave?"

"I already told you that you'll be released in a few hours." Tsunade snapped. She reached out a hand and pushed Naruto back down onto the bed. "If I catch you leaving this hospital before Shizune releases you, I can _assure_ you that you'll be assigned D-rank missions until you're in your thirties. And that's not a threat, Naruto. It's a promise."

"But—,"

"I'd just give in on this one, kid." Jiraiya said wisely. He cast a look at the only woman in the room. "You know how she gets."

Tsunade turned on him, her expression livid. "What the hell does that mean?"

"Nothing, I—," He backed up a few steps, recognizing the expression on her face and feeling a twinge of fear in his gut.

"Maybe if I didn't have to deal with idiots like you on a daily basis, I would be in a better mood." She hissed. "Think about that next time you decide to deliberately ignore my orders. Especially in a life or death situation."

She pushed him out of her way and left the room, the door slamming in her wake.

"She's mad." Naruto cringed.

"Really? What was your first clue?"

"Granny Tsunade's usually not that happy, but now she's acting like she did when I first met her." Naruto sat up in the bed. "What did you do?"

"What did _I_ do?" Jiraiya turned on him, exasperated. "Don't you try to pin this on me, kid. You wanted to take out those missing-nin just as much as I did."

"Yeah, but you're the mature one." Naruto smiled innocently. "I'm only fifteen. What do I know?"

"Brat." Jiraiya grumbled.

"Maybe you should apologize to her." The blond shrugged. "That usually works when I make her mad."

"That's because she loves you like her brother." Jiraiya spat. "But I suppose it's worth a shot. Maybe I'll take her some sake…"

*TsuJir*TsuJir*TsuJir*

Jiraiya gave the Hokage a few hours to cool off before he decided to stop in and see her. Easily slipping past Shizune, he knocked on the door to her office and politely waited for her to tell him to come in before he pushed the door open. When she looked up from her papers and saw him standing there, the annoyance was plain on her face.

"Get out." She said simply.

"I brought sake." He smiled at her and held up the bottle in his hand.

She looked at the bottle, then at him, then back at the bottle before sighing. "Leave the sake and I'll give you one minute."

Grinning, Jiraiya handed her the bottle and plopped himself down in the chair in front of her desk. "I'm here to offer you my most sincere apologies, Tsunade-hime. I shouldn't have gone after the missing-nin and ignored your warning. It was an immature decision and I'm honestly sorry."

Tsunade took a drink straight from the sake bottle and considered his words. "Sorry doesn't change the fact that you put yourself and Naruto in danger for no reason. You know what kind of situation the village is in right now. We can't afford to lose two of our best shinobi."

Jiraiya leaned back in his chair. "Then let me do something to prove that I'm sorry and that it won't happen again."

"You want to make it up to me?" The Hokage snorted. "You wouldn't even know how to start."

Jiraiya's eyes lit up. "Oh really?" He leaned forward, hands on his knees and his grin widening. "Then would you care to make a gamble of it, Hokage-sama?"

Tsunade lifted her eyes to meet his. He knew he'd caught her attention as soon as he said the word gamble. Situations like this made her curse her addiction. "What kind of bet are we talking?"

"Let me treat you to a night out on the town." When he saw Tsunade begin to object, he held up his hand. "Let me finish, woman! I'll take you out, show you a good time, and if you haven't forgiven me by the end of the night, I'll do whatever you want."

Tsunade thought it over, then raised her eyebrows. "_Whatever_ I want?"

Jiraiya winked and wiggled his eyebrows. "Yes, hime, even _that_. Gladly."

She grabbed a pen off of her desk and chucked it at him. The pervert easily dodged it. When the pen hit the back of Tsunade's closed office door and embedded itself into the wood, Jiraiya was especially glad he had. Sometimes he forgot about her monstrous strength.

"So?" He prompted. "What do you say? Is it a bet?" He held out his hand.

Tsunade took another drink of the sake he'd brought her, then sighed. Why the hell not? "It's a bet." She grasped his hand and they shook on it.

Jiraiya stood up, beaming. "I'll pick you up here at seven."

Tsunade watched his retreating form cross her office before a sudden thought struck her. "Wait!" She called. Jiraiya paused, turning to look at her. "If I win then you do whatever I want, but what do you get if you win?"

Jiraiya thought for a moment.

"I get to go on a date with the most breath-taking woman in Konoha tonight." He smiled. "That's enough of a prize for me."

Tsunade felt her cheeks heat up, but this time it wasn't from the alcohol.

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A/N: Alright, I'm fully aware that Jiraiya and Naruto could take out some S-Class missing-nin without any problems but I needed some type of situation to piss Tsunade off, and it was that or bringing in the Akatsuki...and I just didn't want to go there. So I'm calling it artistic freedom.

Love it? Hate it? Is it worth continuing? I'd love to hear your thoughts! :)


	2. Just a Date

A/N: Sorry for taking so long to update this! It's my own fault for starting a story a few days before Prom. Plus, school is ending in a few weeks so I'm getting absolutely hammered with end-of-the-year projects. But I found a spare moment and I'm back with chapter two :) May the fluffy TsuJir cuteness continue! Haha. The next chapter is mostly written, I just can't decide how I want it to end. Cliffhanger or not? Hmm. Hopefully I can get this updated again by next weekend at the latest. After that it looks like there'll be two chapters unless something in my story plan changes. So, five chapters total. :)

THANK YOU to everyone who reviewed! :) You guys are the best. And you're funny, too. Some of you made me laugh and you all made me smile. You're awesome. Thanks to everyone for reading and I hope you'll drop me a review to let me know what you thought :)

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**Just a Date **

To block out all thoughts of white haired perverts and bets, Tsunade buried herself in her paperwork. She worked continuously throughout the entire day, not even glancing at the half-empty sake bottle sitting on the corner of her desk where she had placed it after Jiraiya left. She wasn't going to think about him, or tonight, or what this bet she'd agreed to entailed.

Why had she bothered to agree to go, anyway? She knew she forgave him already. There was just something about that stupid man. No matter how often he made her angry, she always ended up forgiving him. Even when it came to serious matters. It had been like that since they were kids and got stuck together on the same team. It was just something about his annoyingly carefree attitude and infectious smile.

Staring at the paper in front of her, Tsunade realized she hadn't focused on a single one of the words she'd just read. She sighed. If anything, trying to avoid thinking about Jiraiya was putting her farther behind on her work. She couldn't get him out of her head.

What did he have planned for them tonight? A 'night out on the town'? What did that even mean? She hoped he'd just take her to a bar and buy her as much sake as she could handle. But she knew Jiraiya, and she knew that something like that would be way too simple. When he said he had something planned, he usually meant it. That was what worried her.

Did he think this was a date? _Was_ this a date?

_It can't be a date,_ she told herself. _I've rejected Jiraiya every time he's asked me out since we were kids. There's no way I'd agree that easily. He knows that. _But did he know that? Or was he under the impression that there was more to this bet than there was? _Was_ there more to this than just a bet? The Hokage felt a fluttering sensation in the pit of her stomach and quickly pushed those thoughts out of her mind.

Pushing back from her desk and standing up, Tsunade stretched her sore muscles. She glanced at a nearby clock and was surprised to see it was nearly seven. That meant Jiraiya would be here any minute. She quickly piled all of her paperwork up into neat stacks; she'd deal with the rest of it in the morning. It had been a long day, and she was ready to get out of the building.

The knock on her office door made her smile and cringe at the same time. "Come in." She called, knowing exactly who it was.

Jiraiya entered with a huge grin on his face. "Good evening, Tsunade-hime. Ready for the night of your life?"

She rolled her eyes and grabbed her green jacket from where it'd been slung over her chair. "I'm ready to get away from this paperwork, even if that means voluntarily spending time with _you_."

"You really know how to bruise a man's ego." He said, holding the door open for her. "Good thing I know you don't mean it."

"And how do you know that?" She scowled at him, but her eyes sparkled.

"Because," He smiled and placed his hand on her back, leading her out of the building. "I know you better than you know yourself."

*TsuJir*TsuJir*TsuJir*

"I thought you said we were going to eat somewhere?" Tsunade complained. They'd been walking for nearly ten minutes, in the opposite direction of all the restaurants in the village.

"We _are_ going to eat somewhere." Jiraiya replied, looking straight ahead. "Patience, hime. Didn't anyone ever tell you that it's a virtue?"

She mumbled another complaint under her breath and kept walking.

It was only a few minutes later when Jiraiya directed her to the training grounds. She was about to object, again, when her eyes landed on the blanket spread out across the grass with a picnic basket in the middle. The field was lit up by strategically placed lanterns, casting the area in a glow of light that was just bright enough to see what you were doing, but just dim enough to make the atmosphere seem romantic. She smiled when she saw that it was all set up right in front of the pole Jiraiya had been tied to when they first became genin.

"Smiling already." Jiraiya grinned down at her. "And the Legendary Sucker loses another one."

Tsunade chose to ignore him, walking towards the picnic instead. She settled herself down on the blanket, kicked her shoes off in the grass and crossed her legs. Jiraiya watched with an eyebrow raised, expecting her to complain about something. When she didn't, his grin grew a little wider and he sat down next to her.

"Well?" He asked. He dug through the picnic basket and pulled out containers of the different foods he'd packed. "Any objections so far?"

Tsunade opened the containers as he spread them out in front of the two of them. "I don't think a secluded picnic is really a 'night out on the town', but I have to admit that it's a sweet gesture. This was the last thing I expected."

"You should know by now that I'm full of surprises, hime. Expect the unexpected."

Her sudden intake of breath made him turn to look at her, concerned. "Roast chicken!" She exclaimed, holding up the container in her hands and beaming at him. "My favorite! I haven't had this for years!"

Jiraiya laughed at her excitement, a deep rumbling sound that came from deep in his chest. Her face lit up like a little girl's would on Christmas morning. "You're welcome."

"Thank you." She smiled warmly.

"Well, what do you say? Let's eat!"

Jiraiya poured them both a glass of sake and they dug into their meal, chatting and laughing with each other just like old times.

*TsuJir*TsuJir*TsuJir*

"That was surprisingly delicious."

Tsunade sighed happily as she downed the last of the sake in her glass. She put her hands behind her and leaned her weight on them, stretching her legs out in front of her. Jiraiya laid down on his back, his arms crossed behind his head as a pillow.

"You don't give me enough credit, Tsunade-hime." He said. He watched her as she looked up at the stars above them.

"I know." She agreed. She turned to look at him. "But I still don't think this classifies as a 'night out on the town'."

"I thought about taking you dancing." He told her. "Then I figured that was too cliché."

"Because a picnic in the moonlight isn't cliché?"

Jiraiya smiled. "You seemed to be pretty impressed by it."

Shrugging, the Hokage just smiled. She turned her eyes to the stars once again, but Jiraiya kept his gaze focused on her. The way the lanterns casted a dim light on her face made her even more beautiful that he was used to. The sight of the moonlight bouncing off her hair was more breathtaking than the entire expanse of stars above them.

"Beautiful." He sighed, without thinking.

Tsunade never moved her eyes from the sky. "It is."

"Hey, do you remember when you tied me to that pole?" Jiraiya gestured behind them at the post sticking out of the ground. He knew he needed to change the subject before he said something that would ruin the entire night.

"Of course I do. It was the first thing I thought of when we got here." Tsunade laughed. "I remember how I taunted you the whole time. You got what you deserved, baka."

Jiraiya made a noise of acknowledgement, but didn't say anything else. He stared up at the moon, thinking of old memories that he'd shared with the woman sitting next to him. It was a nice feeling, to just be spending time with her. He treasured the moments that happened so rarely nowadays where they just spent a few hours enjoying each other's company. But he couldn't help but hate the bittersweet taste she always left him with. He loved the temperamental woman, but he knew she didn't feel the same way. And if she did, she would never admit it. He would flirt with her, laugh with her, and make her smile, but he knew being more than best friends with her was almost an impossibility. That didn't mean he wasn't going to try, though. It had never stopped him before, so why should it now?

"Truth or dare?"

Jiraiya's eyebrows pulled together and he propped himself up on his elbow, looking at the object of his thoughts. Tsunade was looking at him with a glint in her eyes. "Huh?"

"Truth or dare?" She repeated. "Don't tell me you forgot. We used to play it all the time when we had some downtime between missions."

Another wide grin stretched across his face. "How could I ever forget? It was my dare that made Orochimaru run naked through that gay bar in Sunagakure." The white haired Sannin laughed loudly. "I swore Sarutobi was going to murder us right then and there."

Tsunade laughed along with him. "Orochimaru got you back though. Remember when he dared you to steal my bra?"

Jiraiya visibly cringed. "I remember bits and pieces of it…I think you gave me permanent memory loss from punching me head first into that building."

"But you learned your lesson." She smirked. "So, truth or dare?"

"Hmm." He thought it over. "Truth."

"How many times, in total, have you peeped on me?"

"Once." He answered simply. He didn't even have to think about it. "After you almost killed me, I decided it wasn't worth the pain. I haven't even attempted it since. Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"Why were you so angry at me for the missing-nin incident yesterday?"

Tsunade hesitated. "I already told you, because I'm the Hokage and I deserve at least _some_ respect. I deliberately warned you to get out of there and you ignored me." Then she sighed. After a moment of hesitation, she continued in a quieter voice. "And I don't want to lose you or Naruto. If I lose you, too, I…," She trailed off.

Jiraiya sat up, placing his much larger hand on top of hers, which was resting on the blanket. "You won't lose me, hime. That's a promise."

She glanced over at him, her previous smile having disappeared. "Don't make promises you can't keep."

"I'm just like Naruto. I keep my word." He nudged her shoulder with his. "It's your turn. I pick dare."

Tsunade relaxed against his shoulder, appreciating the warmth he gave off. The night was steadily growing cooler and she was shivering with just her light green jacket on. "I dare you to write a book that's about more than just sex."

Jiraiya blinked. "Huh?"

"You heard me." She leaned back and looked at him. "Write something more than porn."

"But my books _are_ more than porn!" He whined. "If you'd read one, you'd know—,"

"I don't care." She cut him off. "You can include _one_ sex scene, but that's all. That's your dare. Or is the Gallant Jiraiya finally admitting defeat?" She raised one eyebrow and smirked.

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes at her. "You should know by now that I _don't_ lose!" He grumbled for a moment before finally agreeing, a pained expression on his face. "Fine. I'll do it. But it'll take some time so don't expect it to show up on your desk tomorrow. But if this ruins my career, it's your fault. If I lose all of my fans because of you—,"

The Hokage laughed. "It'll do good to expose those perverts to something with _meaning_ for once."

"Women." Jiraiya rolled his eyes. "Alright, truth or dare?"

"Hmm, dare."

"I dare you to kiss me!"

Tsunade turned to look at him with wide eyes. Did she hear him right? Did he really just dare her to kiss him? All of the air seemed to whoosh from her lungs in a millisecond. Her heart began to pound. She couldn't kiss him, could she? He was _Jiraiya_.

Jiraiya just laughed. "I'm kidding! You don't—,"

His words were interrupted by a pair of soft lips pressing gently against his. His heart completely stopped for a moment, his thoughts swirling, his body tense. But it was over just as quickly as it happened, Tsunade pulling away and avoiding his gaze. Jiraiya stared at her, his eyes wide and his jaw dropped in shock. She didn't say anything, and he seemed to have lost the ability to form coherent thoughts let alone sentences.

After a moment of silence, Jiraiya spoke. "Tsunade…,"

She glanced at him, blushing furiously but with a devious glint in her hazel eyes. "It was a dare. I couldn't lose, could I?" She smirked at him.

"But you _always_ lose. You're the Legendary Sucker!"

She lifted one perfectly sculpted eyebrow. "Not this time." Jiraiya could've sworn he saw her wink. Before he had the chance to reply, the Hokage stood up. "It's getting late and I have a full day of paperwork ahead of me tomorrow. I should go."

"I'll walk you home." He sensed her begin to object, and silenced it by wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

They walked silently towards the Hokage's home, the picnic forgotten behind them. Jiraiya knew that Tsunade would pretend that this night never happened come daylight, but he wouldn't. She'd ignited the hope inside of him with one simple gesture. One simple peck on the lips. Even though she was playing it off like it was nothing, Jiraiya knew that the thought of being in new territory with their relationship was something that scared Tsunade more than debt collectors. He didn't care though. As of this moment, he felt like they actually had a chance. It was never too late to try something new.

He smiled at her when they reached her home. "Goodnight, Tsunade-hime."

She stepped inside the open door and met his eyes. "Thanks for the picnic. Tonight wasn't as awful as I expected." She smiled in spite of herself.

Jiraiya beamed. Tsunade was about to close the door when he stopped it with his hand. He leaned down close to her and heard her breath catch, but she didn't back away. He placed his mouth near her ear. "Don't forget about our bet, hime. I win."

He pressed a quick kiss to her cheek, smiled, and waved as he walked away.

Tsunade was left standing there staring after him. She closed the door after a moment, and leaned against it. Reaching up to touch her cheek, she couldn't help but smile.

_Damn you, Jiraiya._

* * *

A/N: I feel like this chapter might've been boring. I hope not. I'd love to hear what you thought about it. I'm writing this for you guys, so let me know what you'd like me to add/change to make it better. :)


	3. Just a Spark

A/N: Thank you for the reviews! :) I owe Taylor Swift's song "Sparks Fly" for the title of this chapter because it sparked my imagination (see what I did there? Hehe). Hope you like this chapter!

* * *

**Just a Spark**

"Good morning, Shizune."

The dark-haired medic jumped, her eyebrows shooting straight up when the Hokage whooshed into her office fifteen minutes early. "Good morning, Tsunade-sama."

The blonde woman sat down behind her desk and looked at her assistant with a smile. "You look nice today, Shizune. Did you do something different with your hair?"

"Uh…no?" Shizune felt like her eyes were about to bug out of her head. Why was Tsunade being so…nice? Since when did the older woman compliment others? Or come in _early_ for work? Something was wrong. Or, judging by the giant smile on Tsunade's face, something was very right.

What the hell was going on?

"Shizune?" Tsunade was watching her, eyebrows raised. "Did you hear me?"

"Oh, uh, yes of course." She scratched the back of her head and laughed nervously. "I didn't do anything to my hair, but thank you for the compliment Tsunade-sama."

"I asked you where you put the mission reports that I still have to sign." Tsunade was eyeing her suspiciously, and Shizune didn't like it. "You seem a little off-task today. Is everything alright?"

No, everything was _not_ alright. Shizune was beginning to get deeply concerned for the Hokage. Had Tsunade been drugged? Or was the village infiltrated, someone disguised as the blonde in order to take down Konoha from the inside out? Was there any other explanation for the genuine smile in place on the Hokage's lips, or the warmth shining from her eyes? She wasn't even drunk!

"_Shizune_!"

"H-Hai, Tsunade-sama?"

Tsunade placed her elbows on her desk, folding her hands under her chin. She never moved her eyes from Shizune's face. "Sit." Shizune did as she was told and sunk into the chair across from Tsunade. The Hokage continued, "What are you thinking about that has you so distracted? I need you on task so that you can keep _me_ on task." Was she making a _joke_? Was Tsunade poking fun at herself?

There was only one other time in all the years that Shizune had spent with Tsunade when the blonde had completely thrown her for a loop, and that was when Shizune found her studying human anatomy instead of gambling. It was when they first got back to the village and Tsunade was looking for a way to improve Rock Lee's chances of surviving his surgery. To see the easily-bored woman studying had made Shizune's jaw unhinge and, right now, she felt much the same way.

"You just seem so…," Shizune trailed off, not knowing how to phrase her words.

"Happy?" Tsunade quirked an eyebrow at the younger woman.

Shizune searched the Hokage's face for any hint of anger, but there was none to be found. Just a serene expression and a warm smile. "Well, yes. And you're early for work."

Tsunade laughed and leaned her cheek against her hand. "That is cause for concern. I don't blame you for being worried."

"I assume this means that your date with Jiraiya-sama went well?" Shizune asked before she could stop herself.

Tsunade's cheeks turned slightly pinker. "It was _not_ a date." She spat.

"I think a picnic with each other under the stars classifies as a date."

"How do you even know about that?" Tsunade exclaimed. "It hasn't even been twelve hours and you know the details! How did you even know I was with Jiraiya?"

"Gossip spreads fast in the Hokage Tower." The dark-haired medic laughed as her mentor's eyes widened. "Don't worry, Tsunade-sama. None of it is _bad_ gossip."

"That depends on your definition of _bad_." Tsunade grumbled. "And it _wasn't_ a date!"

"What was it then?" Now it was Shizune's turn to quirk her eyebrow.

"A bet!" Tsunade crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at her friend. "It was just a stupid bet. I was angry at him and he bet me that if he couldn't make me forgive him by the end of the night, he'd do whatever I wanted. How could I refuse that?"

"How could you refuse _anything_ involving gambling?" Shizune murmured, and just smiled at the Hokage's glare. Deciding it was best to move on with the conversation before Tsunade decided to kick her out of the office, Shizune continued. "Are you going on a second date?"

"I just told you it wasn't a date!"

"If it wasn't, then the next time it should be." Shizune said simply. TonTon hopped onto her lap and oinked in agreement.

Tsunade glared at the little pig. "You're against me too?" The response was another happy oink.

Shizune stood up, hugging TonTon to her chest. "We aren't against you, Tsunade-sama. You know we're always on your team." She smiled and walked towards the door.

Tsunade muttered something under her breath and turned her attention to the multitude of papers scattered in front of her on the desk.

"Tsunade-sama?" Shizune spoke again. Her hand was on the doorknob but she was looking over her shoulder at Tsunade. "I know I'm probably over-stepping my boundaries here, and I hope you'll forgive me, but you know I have your best interests at heart. I think you should do what makes you happy. Don't forget that it's never too late to try something new." With that said, Shizune slipped out the door.

Tsunade stared after her, lost in thought.

*TsuJir*TsuJir*TsuJir*

"Damn it!"

Jiraiya ripped another page out of his notebook, crumpled it up, and threw it at a nearby tree in anger. It bounced off and joined the steadily growing pile of rejected chapters. The crumpled little paper balls seemed to be mocking him. They thought it was hilarious that he couldn't come up with any type of original plot for his next novel.

Every time he started writing the a chapter, it ended up just sounding _bad_. His words weren't flowing eloquently as they usually did and his head was starting to hurt from the effort of trying to make them. He'd had writer's block before, of course, but never had it been this hard to get passed. All he needed to do before was some hands-on research and his imagination was sparked.

The pervert glanced almost longingly towards one of the Konoha bathhouses. From his spot under the trees he could _just_ make out the feminine voices laughing and chatting with one another. For a moment he considered taking up residence at his usual peep-hole, but quickly changed his mind. Taking a deep breath, he placed pen to paper and began his twelfth attempt at writing a worthy chapter.

Not even ten minutes later and that paper was crumpled up and in the pile with the others. Jiraiya sighed and tilted his head back against the tree behind him. Everything had been going well this time…and then he'd decided to re-read what he'd written. The heroine, Manami, had slowly changed from a brunette with sapphire eyes to a blonde with hazel ones. The hero, Toshihiro, began referring to Manami as Manami-hime half way down the page.

_Damn that woman_.

None of this would be happening if it weren't for Tsunade and her damn kiss and that damn game of truth or dare and that _damn_ date. He was never going to write again. When he pictured a woman in his mind, it was her. She was either laughing, scowling, or smiling. It didn't matter what type of expression his imaginary Tsunade was wearing, they were all equally as beautiful on her. He couldn't get her out of his head.

His other characters were beginning to transform mid-way through a chapter to take on her appearance! The worst part about it all was that Jiraiya didn't even realize it when he was writing. It was true that his favorite female heroine's were all based loosely on Tsunade, or had a few characteristics that she possessed, but it wasn't obvious enough for anyone to detect besides the writer himself. Now, subconsciously, they were all turning into her. She was the only woman he could focus on. When his mind wandered, it was her that filled his thoughts.

Jiraiya realized that even if he did go peep at the bathhouse, it wouldn't change a thing. No other woman could hold a candle to the Slug Princess. Especially now, after last night. Tsunade was his one and only. He'd been infatuated with her since they were kids. It had started off as a crush, evolved into something more, and never gone away. After they'd both left the village, he'd spent years wondering what she was up to or trying not to think of her. But when he'd gone in search of her with Naruto, the moment he laid eyes on her he felt like nothing had changed. She was still his beautiful-yet-irritable teammate, and he was still the goofy pervert. His feelings for had only grown stronger in the passing years.

Jiraiya was fifty-four years old and he'd been all over the world searching for gorgeous women to replace her. None ever had.

None ever would.

*TsuJir*TsuJir*TsuJir*

_"Jiraiya." Her breathy voice sounded in his ear. Jiraiya leaned back and admired the way her blonde hair was fanned out around her on the bed. She was beautiful. _

_"I've been waiting so long for this…," He pressed his lips against hers, then trailed kisses down her neck and to her chest. Her bare skin was better than he'd ever imagined, even in his wildest dreams. She was perfect. Beautiful. She was his. _

_"I love you." Tsunade threaded her fingers through his hair as he hovered over top of her. _

_"Hime," He captured her mouth again._

_"Jiraiya!"_

_When he broke the kiss, he saw her staring at him with annoyance in her eyes. He was immediately concerned. "Tsunade? Wha—,"_

_"Baka!"_

_"Wh—,"_

_"JIRAIYA!"_

The pervert's eyes flew open as he awoke with a start. He squinted against the brightness the setting sun was casting in his direction, and made out the form of someone standing in front of him, hands on their hips. He held his hand up to block the sun and tried to make out who was staring at him.

"Who's there? Can't you see I'm trying to sleep here?" He was more than a little annoyed that someone had interrupted his dream.

"Yes, baka, I'm fully aware you were sleeping. Why do you think I woke you up?" The person snapped. Jiraiya's anger subsided as he recognized the voice. Why dream about Tsunade when he could spend time with the real thing?

"'Nade!" He grinned. "What are you doing here?"

Tsunade scowled at the irritating nickname and watched as the pervert pulled himself to his feet. "Don't call me that."

"That's not an answer to my question."

"I was taking a walk and when I walked passed here I heard you mumbling in your sleep. I figured I'd wake you up before you said something you'd regret." Tsunade explained. The real reason she was here was that she'd just wanted to see the foolish man. She'd been hoping he would stop by her office, but he hadn't shown up all day. Needing to get some fresh air to get him out of her head, she'd given Shizune the slip and decided to take a walk. The last thing she expected was to stumble across him talking about her in his sleep.

Jiraiya's demeanor barely changed at the information. Years of shinobi training and stealthy missions had helped him to perfect the art of keeping a straight face. Inside, however, he was freaking out. If Tsunade had heard him mumble anything…if she'd heard her name…oh, _no_.

Trying to play it off as nothing, Jiraiya just shrugged. "Did I say anything interesting?"

"You could call it that." Tsunade smiled, and brushed him off. She turned her gaze to the pile of crumpled papers next to the tree and raised her eyebrow. "Do I have to remind you about the law against littering?"

"I wasn't planning on leaving them there." Jiraiya defended. He bent down and began picking up all of the papers while she watched. He continued, "You know, hime, this damn book you're making me write is a lot harder than I thought it would be."

"Good. Maybe this will turn you into a _real_ writer."

Jiraiya straightened himself out and looked at her. "I _am_ a real writer. Trust me, Tsunade, I can write excellent books without any sex in them."

"Then why are you complaining about it?" She was genuinely confused. "Just write it if you're so amazing."

"Let's walk." He took up residence next to her and the two of them made their way towards the Konoha streets. They walked in silence for awhile. Jiraiya threw all of his crumpled papers away when they came across a garbage can, and as he rejoined Tsunade she decided to continue the conversation they hadn't finished.

"Are you ever going to answer my question?"

"Hmm?" Jiraiya looked at her. Tsunade repeated her question about the book, and Jiraiya sighed. "It has to be better than just excellent if I'm going to dedicate it to you. I can't put your name on something that I'm not proud of."

Tsunade stopped walking and looked at him in shock. He was going to dedicate it to her? A warm feeling seemed to spread through her from the pit of her stomach. That pervert knew exactly how to make her heart melt. Tsunade hesitated for only a moment, then grasped his hand in hers. Jiraiya glanced down at their joined hands, then locked eyes with her.

"That's sweet. Thank you."

The genuine happiness barely hidden behind her smile made Jiraiya's face light up. "Always, hime." He squeezed her hand and a spark shot through them both. He considered kissing her, but the moment passed and he missed his chance. Instead, he tugged at her hand to get her walking again. "The book was your idea. You deserve the dedication."

She laughed. "What are you going to write? 'To Tsunade, thanks for being such a pain in the ass and daring me to write something other than porn'?"

Jiraiya grinned. "Something like that."

They fell into another easy silence as they walked leisurely through the village they both loved. Jiraiya glanced down at the shorter woman he cared for so much. He couldn't help but feel his chest swell with excitement when he realized she was the one to initiate the hand-holding. She was finally opening up. It only took her, what, forty years?

Tsunade stopped walking when they reached a small bridge. She grasped the railing with her free hand and looked out at the fading sun reflecting off of the water. There were some flowers from nearby cherry-blossom trees floating calmly down the little stream. It was a simple kind of beauty; the kind of thing she'd spent decades ignoring and looking away from, lost in her misery and anger. Now she found herself able to appreciate it.

She glanced up at Jiraiya and caught him staring at her. She'd recently learned to appreciate him, too.

He used his fingers to easily brush her bangs out of her eyes when she turned to face him. She idly wondered when she'd started allowing him to touch her so intimately. His hand settled under her chin and she allowed him to tilt her face up to his. Their eyes locked, hazel meeting obsidian.

"Tsunade?" His voice was soft and quiet, an unspoken question lingering in the air between them.

The Hokage smiled in response, and that was the only answer Jiraiya needed. He pulled her smaller frame against his and pressed his lips against hers. Tsunade wrapped her arms around his neck, standing on her tip-toes to reach. The kiss was better than the night before because, this time, neither of them were in a hurry to pull away. It started out gentle and sweet, but soon they allowed their passion to overcome and pressed their bodies together. They explored each other's mouths, hearts hammering against one another through their clothing, until the need for oxygen became too unbearable.

When the Sannin broke their kiss, they still continued clinging to each other. Neither of them wanted the moment to end. Jiraiya pressed another kiss to Tsunade's forehead.

"I love you, hime." He whispered.

Tsunade's heart stopped.

* * *

A/N: Thoughts? :) Okay, so, I need some input. In the next chapter Tsunade's going to have a conversation with someone, but I can't decide on who that someone should be. I was thinking Shizune, but I just did a Shiz/Tsu friendship scene in this chapter and I'd like to switch it up a bit. I was thinking either Sakura or Naruto, but I can't decide on which one. I was kind of leaning towards Naruto...but I don't know! So that's where you guys come in. Tell me who you'd prefer: Shizune, Sakura, or Naruto? Thanks! :)

Also, just because I actually put thought into this...there's a reason for the names of the characters Jiraiya mentions when he's thinking about his book. Manami means love and beauty, and Toshihiro means intelligent and wise. I thought he'd name his heroine after how he felt about Tsunade, so "love and beauty" fit. And of course he thinks of himself as intelligent and wise, so there we go. :) That's all. Haha.


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